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 Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:06 pm
Rep was feeling better. This in itself was a rather big deal for him, everything of late had felt like one giant slippery slope into the depths of despair. A few days ago he might even have admitted he didn't think he'd ever feel fully better again. But it was surprising how much things levelled off once you found your centre. Everything else could be chaos, but as long as things were back to relative normalcy with his guys, he could cope. The talk with Jordan had lifted a lurking weight of worry off his shoulders and given him a newfound motivation to make up to the people he'd wronged since arriving on the island.
The priority was the unfortunate people who had been dragged on his failure of a promotion, and of those people, Rin was in theory the easiest. He felt he knew her to some extent, more than Jerry who was an enigma in many ways and who at this point would probably gun him down with Roar on sight.
The corridor was familiar, he'd once called it home.
On the way to Rin's room he lingered at his own old room, cracking the door ajar just enough to peer around. His ruined clothes were strewn on the floor - the flute was gone. He slunk back and closed it, it was another weight off his conscience.
He had no idea what he'd say to her, if she was even home, but he wasn't able to talk himself out of it this time, the directions had been very clear.
Knocking seemed absurdly loud in this quiet part of the building, and he simply waited in silence, straining to make out any stirring or movement from within that would imply he was being ignored.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:17 pm
There was movement within the room as Rin tried to carefully set aside her project and get the door. She was mostly expecting Sasha, perhaps Jerry, but certainly not...
"William...," her tone was soft but clearly full of bewilderment, "What are you... I mean... Hi?"
She immediately felt... ill. Uncertain. She wasn't sure she could handle this, not now, not yet. So she stood there in the doorway looking stunned.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:20 pm
Rep smirked, it was his first defensive reflex. Even though he didn't feel like smirking, or being particularly smug. "Hey. Don't look so pleased to see me." Joking made it easier, felt more comfortable.
He almost asked if he could come in out of habit before remembering how picky Rin could be about her own space. Once upon a time he'd earned the right to cross that threshold, he had a feeling he had rescinded that right on the mission, maybe even before it.
"I won't take up too much of your time, right. Are you busy?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:33 pm
Sadly, he was correct about no longer having that right. She stood in the doorway frowning slightly at his jokey attitude, normally she would have laughed and dished back in equally jokey tune.
"William," her tone was bitter and sharp now as she furrowed her brows at him, "Why did you do it?"
Her tone turned more feeble and stung, "Why did you shoot me in the face?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:51 pm
Rep fought the urge to cross his arms, instead meeting her gaze as honestly as he could, a real effort for him at the best of times.
"I did it because you were all in my way. And because I thought at the time it was for the good of the group." He fingered the engraved runes on the bracelet, a nervous habit he'd been developing lately when he had no idea what else to do with his hands. "You remember I told you about that famine hive? About the kids who were just like bug puppets. It was what I thought the old lady could have been. And you guys wouldn't move. I couldn't beat you, I was desperate so in a completely ******** stupid moment I thought I did what I had to."
He looked away at the ground before forcing himself to look back to her. "And I guess I just swung around to say I'm sorry it happened I guess. I hurt a lot of people, and you were one of them."
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:01 pm
"We shouldn't have followed them in the first ******** place. If it was a trap they could have killed us all as we entered the village. I don't want excuses William, I don't want vague weak little apologies either," she choked back on emotion, "What I want is a real ******** apology and some assurance that you wont betray me yet ******** sighed and leaned more heavily against her door frame, "You're my friend you idiot... you're not supposed to get me... or yourself killed," she narrowed her eyes and stared down at the floor, "Is that so <********> hard?!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:11 pm
"I know. In retrospect, what I did was completely ******** stupid. Allan was clear, I heard him but didn't listen. I'm not saying any of it was right, nor is this some ******** weak little apology. I mean it."
He raised a brow at her. "How am I meant to prove to you that I do though?"
At her question he gave her a wry smile. "It is pretty hard man, look at me. Half the people here want me dead man. Aye its hard to not get myself killed, but I'm trying. And I probably need help to try."
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:46 pm
Rin seemed taken aback by the question and his statement, "Unfortunately for you, I'm not one of those who wants you dead. No. I want you to squirm a bit. I want you to learn a real ******** lesson, William."
She suddenly stuck her neck out to peer into the hallway around him, "No one followed you?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:12 pm
"Why would anyone follow me?"
Rep gave her a very suspicious look. "And I already had that ******** lesson from Sasha, thanks. You can just ask her how it went, it would probably save you the effort. "
He made a slicing motion across his neck with a finger, following the scar. "It went pretty ******** good as you can see. "
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:25 pm
Rin abruptly reached out to grab Rep by his shirt and haul him into her room. Unhanding him just as abruptly as she grabbed him to double check the hallway before closing the door behind and lean against it, "Look, I don't care what Sasha's done. I'm ******** Rin, okay? You were my first ******** friend and I was your friend too. You hurt me William. You hurt me bad and I'm not sure I'm ready to even begin to forgive you yet."
She heaved a frustrated but weakened sigh and looked down at her feet, "It doesn't mean I don't want to though."
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:34 pm
Rep made a surprised and startled sound as he was grabbed and yanked right into the room. He had no idea what to expect once he was there, and actually felt the first fluttering of panic as the door was closed.
"I want you to forgive me." he stated, uncertain what else he could offer her to make her accept his apology. He was treading very unfamiliar ground and wasn't sure what he could do. He could pick a fight with her he supposed, but that would just end up with more maiming, which on its own was alright, but he flat out refused to upset Harrison just to possibly make other people feel better.
"What can I even do?" he said "I don't even have any money to buy you s**t with."
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:41 pm
Rin gave him a look like he was mad before all out bursting into raucous laughter. She quickly got the laughter back under control before shaking her head at him, "You can't just buy forgiveness you ******** earn it."
"Look, I'll cut you a bit of slack okay - obviously you're trying but are pretty clueless," she pushed herself off the door to approach him, "I think a good place to start," and then she gently reached up to touch his shoulder, "would be," and then she pressed on that shoulder and attempted to speak softly into his ear, "if you made me a ******** sandwich. b***h."
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:49 pm
Rep was fairly upset by the laughter, his pride slighted, but he took it with better grace than he might normally have. He had promised to apologise, not to let himself be deterred from it by getting angry. "Noted." was all he said in reply to her.
As she closed the distance, he tensed all the more, freezing entirely as she touched his shoulder. The words were far too close for him, as paranoid as Sasha had made him around others, and it took him a few moments to even get past the proximity to realise what she had said.
Again the anger threatened to show its fangs, but he shoved it aside, it wasn't useful right now. "What sort of sandwich?" He asked evenly, his words as tense as his posture.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:54 pm
Really?
There was a bit of a hopeful glint in her eyes as she backed off enough to actually answer without toying with him, "Oh I dunno. Something with meats, cheeses, mayo. It'd be lovely if I got to watch you make it too..."
Oh you are the BEST.
"In a pink apron," she offered with a cool and calm finality.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:09 pm
Rep gave Rin a very nonplussed look. "Mayo gives me the pip, man." Just the idea of having to deal with it made his skin crawl. "And I don't even ******** know how to make sandwiches. But if this s**t is what you want to make me somehow prove I'm sorry then whatever, I'll do it."
He shrugged, shaking his head with a very disappointed sigh. "But I don't own a pink apron."
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